Archive for April 30, 2010

As in giving us the information we need to protect ourselves — like the fact that there’s a potentially homicidal thief targeting cyclists.

Just when you think the LAPD’s relationship with the cycling community has finally turned the corner, comes word that two cyclists have been shot by a bike thief in Koreatown.

Almost a month ago.

At a time when many cyclists have had enough and have begun fighting back against bike thieves, the Los Angeles Police Department has known for nearly four weeks that at least one thief was willing to kill in order to get away with his prize.

The incident occurred at about 3 am on April 4th when two cyclists stopped at a catering truck at the intersection of Pico Blvd and Westmoreland Avenue, and left their bikes unlocked and unguarded while they bought food. Two thieves walked up and grabbed the bikes while they were distracted; the police have surveillance video showing one of the thieves snatching the bike.

When the cyclists tried to stop them, one thief pulled out a handgun and shot the first victim twice, then fired at the second rider as they rode off on the victims’ bikes, hitting him in the shoulder.

The L.A. Times writes that the first rider suffered life-threatening injuries that kept him hospitalized until last week.

“They nearly killed him,” said LAPD Det. Dennis Bopp, who is investigating the shootings. “It was a crime of opportunity that turned to violence.”

Both suspects are described as Hispanic between 17 to 19 years of age. The first suspect stood between 5 feet 5 inches and 5 feet 6 inches tall and weighed 140 pounds. He was last seen wearing a black shirt and blue jeans.

The second suspect stood between 5 feet 5 inches and 5 feet 6 inches tall and weighed 150 pounds. He was last seen wearing a blue or black baseball cap, blue sweater with white long-sleeves with the letters ‘LA’ on the chest and blue jeans.

Video footage of one of the suspects was captured on tape and is available at www.lapdtv.org.

Anyone with information regarding this crime is urged to call Olympic gang detectives at 213-382-9430.

So let’s be careful out there. No matter how much you love it, a bike can be replaced.

Your life can’t.

And let’s hope that next time, the LAPD tells us when there’s something we need to know.

………

In better news, police arrested three bike thieves at Sunset Blvd and Figueroa Street in Downtown L.A. when they attempted to steal two bikes while detectives were setting up a bicycle-theft sting operation. And in a final ironic touch, one of the bikes the thieves rode up on had been stolen from an L.A. County sheriff’s deputy in 2004.

Meanwhile, Green LA Girl offers to help with the fund-raising for this year’s Brita Climate Ride for one woman who’s already registered.

Here’s your opportunity to Ride Like the Dutch at the upcoming Long Beach Bicycle Festival in the self-described most bicycle friendly city in America, May 7 – 9; I’d be happy if Los Angeles just aspired to be the most bike friendly city in the county, though that would require asking Long Beach to move to Orange County first.

And the next Streetsblog LA fundraiser rides June 18th starting at Flying Pigeon in Highland Park and following the former Red Car route.

Like this:

Cyclist, attorney and court case correspondent Dj Wheels emailed today to catch us up on the current status of the all-too-many mostly bike-related cases winding their way through the local court system.

The Pretrial conference for April 16 was heard, but apparently the Preliminary Hearing which was scheduled for April 26 was cancelled and rescheduled. There is now a Pretrial conference scheduled for May 14 and the Preliminary Hearing for June 17.

She is charged with:

1) one felony count of hit and run with permanent and serious injury – CVC 20001(a)(b)(2)

2) a special allegation of inflicting great bodily harm, which is attached to the hit and run – Penal Code 12022.7(a)

The Preliminary Setting conferences scheduled for March 11 and April 19 were both heard at the Malibu Courthouse. Another Preliminary Setting conference was scheduled for Friday May 7 at 1:30pm. What’s interesting is that the docket says, “VICTIMS WILL BE PRESENT TO MAKE STATEMENTS.” I called the DA’s office in Malibu to find out what this meant. Deputy McIlvain explained to me that May 7 is a Preliminary Setting Conference, and a disposition (plea bargain and sentencing) may be possible on that day. However, she is not allowed to disclose the terms of the offer for the plea at this point. If it is accepted, the case may reach a resolution that day, otherwise they’ll move forward with the Preliminary Setting conference to schedule a date for a Preliminary Hearing. I’m going to make my best effort to be there next Friday.

Preliminary Setting conferences were heard on March 22 and April 23 at the Beverly Hills Courthouse. A date of June 11 was scheduled for the Preliminary Hearing.

Charges:

1) one felony count of hit and run causing serious or permanent injury – CVC 20001(a)

2) one infraction count of a minor driving with a BAC over .01 – CVC 23136(a)

William Keith Square was arrested in the hit-and-run death of a still-unnamed cyclist in Carson earlier this month; at last report, authorities had not been able to locate the victim’s last address or next of kin.

William Keith Square (Case #TA11183201) – Victim – not named

On April 17, Square killed a cyclist in Carson with his car and left the scene. Luckily a witness wrote down his license plate # and Sheriffs arrested him at his home in Long Beach. The Inmate locater page says the arraignment is scheduled for May 5 at Compton Municipal Court. It also says that Mr. Square was arrested on April 18, assigned to permanent housing on April 24 at 4am, and then released from custody at 7:47 am. This is strange because usually it will also state the bail amount, but it doesn’t in this case. Bail for something like this should be something like $100,000, of which a bail bonds company usually asks for 10% to post bond for you.

Charges: (I haven’t seen the docket yet, but I’m assuming the charges are going to be these.)

The Pretrial conferences for March 24 and April 23 were heard. At the last hearing, Karabian’s defense attorney, Joseph Gutierrez, was granted a motion for sanctions against Classic Parking for failure to provide subpoenaed documents. Classic Parking is to pay the defendant $500. Another Pretrial conference is scheduled for May 13 at the East L.A. courthouse.

This 18 yr old man killed Jorge Alvarado of the Bahati pro cycling team on April 8 while street racing on Greenspot Road out in San Bernardino. According to the SB County Court online case info page, charges have still not been filed against Roraff.

Hopefully, the local authorities know that the cycling communities of two countries are watching this case closely; the comments in Spanish from the people who knew him are truly heartbreaking.

Special thanks to Dj Wheels for his amazing work in keeping us on top of these cases; if anyone needs a good young lawyer who knows bicycling, let me know.

A former Republican candidate for Lt. Governor in Wisconsin offers a first-person account of an intentional attack by a truck driver; unclear is whether he was attacked for his politics or because he was on a bike.

Finally, Bike Portland discovers, as many of us do sooner or later, that middle fingers do not lead to productive dialogue; I like the advice someone else gave him, “The peace sign only takes one more finger.”

I think I’ll have that tattooed on the back of my hand so I see it when I ride.

But in a truly bizarre twist, LADOT — which has spent the last 14 years not building the previously approved projects in the 1996 bike plan — has no idea if they can actually spend the money, whether that turns out to be $3.2 million or the $5.35 million shown in our newly bike-friendly Mayor’s budget.

Which may be the first time — in my knowledge, at least — that a city department has gone out of it’s way to resist additional funding.

Speaking for the LADOT was Mike Uyeno, who was joined by Maria Souza-Rountree from the Chief Legislative Analyst Office. Time and again, Council Members asked if the LADOT would be able to spend Measure R Local Return funds that were set-aside. Time and again, Uyeno gave an answer somewhere between “no” and “I don’t know.” For example:

Councilman Paul Koretz asked:

Is there any chance at all that we’ll be unable to spend the 10% on bike and pedestrian needs.

Uyeno answered

I’m not sure. It depends what staffing becomes available. Not sure what ped. projects are out there in the department. There’s just a lot of open ends in this anymore.

In all fairness, the recent budget cuts have reduced the department’s staffing. But for the first time in memory, LADOT has both the funding and the political backing to actually accomplish something in terms of biking projects. And the best they can come up with is “I don’t know?”

I’d suggest giving LADOT’s leadership 30 days to come back with a plan to spend every penny of that money, effectively, efficiently and productively. And if they can’t do that, then it’s time to hire someone who can, or maybe just do what others have suggested and eliminate the department entirely.

Now the question is whether LADOT will support and implement the project, or if they will drag their feet until this turns into another sharrows project.

………

In local bike news, an unidentified hero bicyclist finished a police chase for them, as he ran down a suspected drunk driver who had taken off running after colliding with another vehicle during a police pursuit. Kudos to the cyclist, but standard advice is to point out the bad guys and let the police do the actual apprehension. Thanks to Jim Lyle for the heads-up.

Finally, 84% of Brits surveyed by a motorists’ group say more money, not more laws, will make cyclists safer; 82% say registration and licensing is a bad idea, and only 1% support mandatory helmet laws.

Do you want to leave this city better than you found it when your time on the council is over? Or do you want to continue down the same failed path that has brought L.A. gridlocked streets and declining neighborhoods?

Either way, your vote on Wednesday for or against the 10% set-aside for biking and pedestrian projects in the local return portion of Measure R should be clear.

You can vote to continue the same car-oriented culture that threatens to destroy our city, while leavening it with just enough expensive transit projects to maybe, almost keep up with anticipated growth. Or you can take a seemingly small shift in direction that will set L.A. on a pathway to less congestion, better health and improved livability.

Any guess how many able-bodied Americans walk during the course of their day?

It’s not like this city doesn’t have hundreds, if not thousands, of shovel-ready projects waiting for funding. Just ask the council’s representative from LADOT how many projects included in the 1996 bike plan still haven’t been built. All that’s lacking is a commitment to build them and the funding to do it.

And you can take care of both before this day is over.

In fact, biking and pedestrian projects are remarkably affordable. You could build every project recommended in the new bike plan for a fraction of what it will cost to extend the subway to Westwood. Or the $450 million currently being invested to gain a little short-term traffic relief on the 405 Freeway over the Sepulveda Pass.

Or have you forgotten how nice it used to be to drive on the 105 and 215 Freeways before increased demand overwhelmed the increase in capacity?

On the other hand, maybe you think driving is good for business.

I suspect the merchants on Santa Monica’s Third Street Promenade or Old Town Pasadena would argue otherwise, with their highly profitable clientele drawn almost exclusively by the walkability of those areas. Even the businesses on busy Hollywood Boulevard benefit far more from the crowds who wander down the sidewalks as opposed to those who drive past on the crowded street.

Now imagine what it would be like if it didn’t take an unpleasant drive on frequently gridlocked streets just to get there.

In fact, cities across the country are shifting from drive-through mode to walkable, bikeable, complete streetscapes. Even New York City has discovered the benefits of closing Broadway to vehicular traffic, making it one of the most popular destinations in the city.

Speaking of New York, that city — one of the most crowded and built-out in the nation — recently tripled the number of bike lanes on its streets. So much for the argument that L.A. is too built-out for bike projects.

That also answers the question of whether people will actually use those bike and pedestrian facilities if they’re built. Because New York — which, unlike Los Angeles, actually counts the number of bicyclists who ride on its streets, so they don’t have to guess — saw a 28% increase in ridership last year alone.

Or consider the crowded, crooked streets of New Orleans, where a new bike lane on St. Claude Avenue resulted in a 44% increase in male bicyclists. And a 133% increase in women riders.

If you build it, they will come. And every rider on a bike represents one car that isn’t on the streets. Isn’t that something Los Angeles could clearly benefit from?

How you vote today is up to you.

But few decisions you will ever make in your political career will have a greater impact on the future livability of this city.

Or on the legacy you’ll leave behind.

I had planned to speak in support of the 10% Measure R set-aside for biking and pedestrian projects at Wednesday’s City Council meeting, but a bout with bronchitis will keep me confined to home — and off my bike — for the next few days. So I’ll let this do my talking for me. Come back later for links and other interesting items.

I know, but just go with me here, even if you’re of the car-free persuasion.

You’re approaching an intersection and have the green light. Suddenly, a car blows through the red light on the cross street, forcing you to jam on the brakes and swerve to avoid it, only to collide with the car next to you.

So who’s at fault?

Is it your fault? The car you hit? Or the one who broke the law and caused you both to take evasive action?

I think most reasonable people would conclude that the red light-runner should be held responsible, even though he wasn’t directly involved in the collision. And based on previous cases I’ve been aware of, I think most police officers would agree.

Now consider a similar situation, in which a driver darts out of a driveway directly in front of you, causing you to collide with another car as you react to avoid it. But fortunately, someone was able to chase the driver down and urge him to return to the scene of the accident he caused.

Again, most people would conclude that the driver who broke the law by cutting you off would be responsible for causing the collision. But is it hit-and-run if he didn’t actually hit anyone?

Now let’s use your imagination one more time.

Let’s say you’re on your bike, riding in the bike lane, when that car darts out in front of you. So you try to make a panic stop, and end up flipping over your handlebars and crashing to the street with a broken collarbone, while the driver who caused it calmly drives off.

Fortunately, a witness sees it happen and chases the driver down. But the driver refuses to return to the scene, insisting that it’s not hit-and-run because she didn’t hit anyone.

That’s exactly what happened on Sunset Boulevard in Silverlake yesterday.

As Stephen Box tells the story, the witness flagged down a passing police car, and the driver ultimately returned to the scene. But the police inexplicably concluded that not only did the driver not flee the scene, but that no violation occurred. No report, no crime.

This, despite a clear violation of CVC 21804, as Box points out —

21804. (a) The driver of any vehicle about to enter or cross a highway from any public or private property, or from an alley, shall yield the right-of-way to all traffic, as defined in Section 620, approaching on the highway close enough to constitute an immediate hazard, and shall continue to yield the right-of-way to that traffic until he or she can proceed with reasonable safety.

And yes, a bicycle is traffic.

As he explains —

1) The motorist violated the cyclist’s right of way.
2) The violation of the cyclist’s right of way caused the cyclist to take evasive action resulting in injury.
3) The motorist left the scene of an “incident” that was her responsibility.

Of course, any cyclist could tell you that the driver was responsible. But two police officers, the division Watch Commander and a traffic division Watch Commander concluded otherwise.

Which is why police officers need better training, not only in bike rights and law, but in bicycle accident investigation. Because a driver making a panic stop without hitting anyone isn’t likely to result in any injuries. But a cyclist responding to a careless, law-breaking driver can.

And did.

It’s also one more reason why we need to change the law in California to ensure that any cyclist riding legally in a bike lane enjoys the same level of liability protection as a pedestrian in a crosswalk.

Because the mere presence of a bike lane — or sharrows, for that matter — should be adequate notice to any driver to anticipate cyclists, just as a crosswalk suggests the presence of pedestrians.

And you should have a right to be safe when you’re doing what you’re supposed to do, exactly where you’re supposed to be.

A woman in La Habra was killed by a bus while riding her bike across the crosswalk.

Annette Ferrin-Rodgers, 49, was killed at approximately 8:28 pm last night at the intersection of Beach Blvd and La Habra Blvd in La Habra, when a bus turning left onto La Habra from Beach struck her. The driver reported seeing something in the crosswalk, but was unable to stop despite traveling at an estimated 15 to 20 mph.

A mail processing clerk at the Santa Ana USPS processing center, Ferrin-Rodgers was reportedly riding without lights an hour after sunset. Police also stated that riders are required to dismount and walk across a crosswalk. However, that’s only true where riding on the sidewalk in prohibited, since the crosswalk is considered an extension of the sidewalk, or where DOT-conforming signage requires it; according to comments, riding on the sidewalk is legal in that area.

The driver has been tested for drugs and alcohol, as per USDOT guidelines, and will be on administrative leave while the investigation proceeds.

………

C.I.C.L.E.’s Urban Expeditions celebrates Earth Day with the Lorax Ride on Saturday, April 24, beginning at 10 am at Memorial Park in Pasadena.

Sunday the 25th marks the monthly Black kids on bikes – Freedom Ride in South L.A., a fun, medium-paced ride that rolls at 1 pm the last Sunday of each month. If you were at the Streetsblog fundraiser at Eco-Village earlier this month, you saw the premier of the great new StreetsFilm about the Freedom Ride by Ivy London; if not, look for it when it goes online next month.

In non-doping pro news, the legendary Eddy Merckx is honored with a stamp by his native Belgium on his 65th birthday, while Lance is named the most influential athlete in the U.S.; oddly, Tiger Woods is no longer on the list.

Despite last night’s LACBC board meeting, about 10,000 emails that demanded my attention, and what feels like an oncoming cold, those bike links keep piling up. So make yourself a hot drink and settle down for a few minutes of clicking on a cold and semi-damp L.A. day.

On April 16, 2010, at around 12:17 p.m., a 43-year-old man was riding his bicycle in the cemented portion of the lane, closest to the curb, westbound Oxnard Street just west of Fulton Ave. Witnesses described the hit and run only as a truck, driven by a male Caucasian. The truck was traveling westbound on Oxnard Street attempting to pass the bicyclist. Witnesses state that a metal object attached to the truck possibly struck the bicyclist. The driver left the scene failing to render aid and exchange information as required by law.

The 43-year-old man was transported to a local hospital with severe injuries and he is listed in serious condition. There is no further description on the truck.

Anyone with information is asked to call Valley Traffic Division, Detective Jackson at 818 644-8020 or 818 644-8028, during normal business hours. During non-business hours or on weekends, calls should be directed to 877-LAPD-24-7. Anyone wishing to remain anonymous should call Crimestoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (800-222-8477). Tipsters may also contact Crimestoppers by texting to phone number 274637 (C-R-I-M-E-S on most keypads) with a cell phone. All text messages should begin with the letters “LAPD.” Tipsters may also go to LAPDOnline.org, click on “webtips” and follow the prompts.

Reading between the lines, the driver may or may not be aware he hit someone; however, he is still liable for the injuries caused by his failure to properly secure his load and pass safely.

I don’t expect it from the people who have been elected to lead this city.

Admittedly, I didn’t attend Monday’s joint meeting of the City Council Transportation and Budget & Finance committees to discuss a 10% set-aside for bike and pedestrian projects — 5% each — from the local-return portion of Measure R funds.

And since the local news no longer covers local news — even three days later, no one has bothered to report who it was that got killed in Saturday night’s Carson hit-and-run — I’m relying strictly on Damien Newton’s as-always excellent reporting on Streetsblog.

I have no problem with someone disagreeing with my stand on any given issue. My philosophy has always been to make my case as clearly as possible, and trust others to make their decisions based on their own best judgment and analysis of the testimony presented.

Following Parks, Valley Councilman Greig Smith put on a private clinic on how little he knows about transportation funding in the city. After agreeing with Parks’ position, Smith pushed for someone to tell him what percent of residents are cyclists. Of course, there’s no bike counts being done by the city. Smith also didn’t seem to understand that a lot of people are cyclists even if they don’t use their bike every day or even every week. After the city couldn’t answer his question with anything more than a guess, Smith declared that it was “a lot less than 10%.” I guess the Councilman has done his own bike counts and is just keeping the numbers secret from the rest of us? Thus the city shouldn’t set aside “10% for this group.”

So let me get this straight.

Rather than doing a modicum of research to determine a rough estimate of the number of cyclists — a simple internet search would have lead him to the US Department of Transportation’s estimate that 27.3% of Americans over 16 ride bikes — he made up his own number, based on his own evidently extremely limited experience, to conclude that the number was “a lot less than 10%.”

Never mind that the DOT’s figures were based on 2002 numbers, so they don’t reflect the recent boom in the popularity of bikes — let alone L.A.’s mostly flat terrain and year-round riding weather — that should boost that total significantly. Or that even conservative estimates suggest that 15% to 17% of adults ride a bike in a given month.

Then there’s the fact that building bike infrastructure usually results in an increase in ridership, like the recently installed bike lane in New Orleans that boosted ridership among male cyclists 44% for men and 133% for women.

But Smith seems to think he knows something the statisticians don’t.

Then again, he did turn to city officials — presumably LADOT — for an answer. However, most of us can attest that’s exactly the wrong place to turn for information, since, despite their recent attempts at better communication with the cycling community, LADOT clearly seems to believe that the T in their name refers to automotive throughput at the expense of any other form of transportation.

So here’s a suggestion.

As others have noted, it’s long past time that this city stopped relying on misguided guesswork and conducted an accurate count of cyclists and pedestrians in this city. And quite frankly, LADOT should be embarrassed that the LACBC has to do their damn job for them.

Meanwhile, if you’re not a member of the LACBC, it’s time you became one so your voice will be represented before the council and other government bodies.

And while you’re at it, sign up for the new League of Bicycling Voters LA so that our next class of council members might enter office with a little more knowledge of, and support for, bicycling than many of our current officials.

And Council Member Smith, the next time you need information about bikes, call me.

Seriously.

Have your aides email me, and I’ll give them my number. And I promise to drop everything to track down the data you need.

Because frankly, it will be a lot better for everyone if you don’t try to make these things up.

I suppose I enjoy waking to birds singing and seeing some cute little fellow alight on the balcony about as much as anyone, I suppose.

But it’s not like I’m going to grab the binoculars and field guide if I spot a strange puff of feathers in the tree across the way. And as far as I’m concerned, those pigeons people feed are just rats with beaks and wings.

So it’s odd that some of my most vivid memories of riding involve birds.

Take the time I got dropped by a couple of roadrunners who darted past my wheel like sprint specialists fighting for a stage win. Or the time I watched a flock of San Diego parrots burst into a kaleidoscope of vibrant colors as they took flight.

I’ve seen a hawk silently dive bomb into an unsuspecting rabbit, while riding through the grasslands of eastern Colorado. And once even felt the wingtip of an eagle brush my shoulder as it swooped down to snatch a snake curled just feet from my wheel.

And if that doesn’t get your heart pounding, you might as well just lie down and close your eyes. Because you may be dead already and just don’t know it yet.

Then there’s the ones that I heard more than saw.

Like the eerie call of a lonely owl across a mountain moraine or the staccato jackhammer of a woodpecker in a Louisiana swamp. The lovely lilting melody of a meadowlark rising from a fencerow along a high country highway.

Or that of a bobolink, whose distinctive call sounds much like its name, rising on the last syllable.

Not one of these, despite what it sounded like. Photo: Wikipedia

I could sometimes imitate it well enough to get a response as I rode; although I suspect, like a foreign tourist who attempts a few words in the local language, they weren’t so much fooled as simply appreciated the effort.

Still, it’s a sound I know almost as well as the sound of my own name.

So when I heard that distinctive call outside my window the other day, there was one thing I knew for certain.

It wasn’t a bobolink.

I hadn’t heard that call in the two-plus decades I’ve lived in Southern California. And to the best of my knowledge, the bird’s range doesn’t extend much west of Utah.

On the other hand, hearing it gave me a clue to just what had been singing loudly enough outside our window to keep my wife awake at night for the past few weeks — and annoy the hell out of her during the day.

So I followed my hunch with quick search online, and sure enough, found the following on Wikipedia:

Mockingbirds’ willingness to nest near houses, their loud and frequent songs, and their territorial defense often annoy people… Mockingbirds are often found in urban and suburban areas, where they perch on telephone poles, streetlights, or high points on buildings.

This photo will have to do, since he seems to be a little camera shy. Photo: Wikipedia

A simple look outside confirmed the presence of a little grey bird, very much like the one in the picture, atop the TV antenna on the building next door.

Game, set, match.

Verdict: mockingbird.

A little more research revealed that those loud calls that were driving my wife up the wall were an attempt to attract a mate, and that he should quiet down once he finds one.

So what we’re dealing with here is just another horny guy disturbing everyone around him in a vain attempt to get laid.

And what man among us couldn’t relate to that?

So if you happen to know a cute, single female mockingbird, let me know. I don’t mind a little bird pimping if it will shut him up and let my wife get some sleep.

Besides, this isn’t the first mockingbird we’ve had around here.

And I’d really like to calm this one down before he learns to imitate a car alarm.